AUTHOR'S NOTE: It has all begun!! Everything is set in motion...but I have to say that there will not be an extreme amount of writing during the War of the Ring since most everything is told in the Lord of the Rings. I will do some things from different point of views though. I am very glad so many people are enjoying the story. This ch. has some dialogue from the books since it all fits with the storyline mostly with Elrond speaking in a certain part...so enjoy ch. 20!!
The Council of Elrond lasted for the entire day while they discussed the many troubles and doubts of those who had arrived. Silence seemed to have settled on Imladris during this time for there was no sound of trilling birds, songs sung by the Elves, or the wind rustling in the branches.
When they finally began to disperse from the Council, the attendants' faces all looked weary or thoughtful or anxious. None would speak much of it afterwards. Scouts were sent out to the East, West, North, and South to see if any sign of the Nazgûl could be found. Aragorn had gone with Elrohir and Elladan to help with the patrolling of the lands and to give notice to the Rangers.
Arwen despaired at having only one moment with Aragorn. It had been long since she was with him, the years weighing heavily in her bosom.
Elves began to return one by one (or two) as did Aragorn with the sons of Elrond who had journeyed far. No sign of the Ringwraiths was found whatsoever, so Elrond knew the time was drawing nigh for the Ring to leave Imladris. Arwen had been with him in those times he was troubled and comforted the misgiving in his soul. She truly had been a star in the dark heavens for her father. He had told her Frodo had spoken up to take the One Ring into the lands of Mordor where it had to be destroyed in the fires from whence it came; the Mountain of Doom or Orodruin. It was the only way to be rid of it at last and of Sauron its Master. Sam, Frodo's constant companion, was to go with him. Elrond and Arwen discussed who else should endure the long, perilous journey.
"Mithrandir should surely go," murmured Elrond rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "This is a task he shall be of great service in."
"They should represent all the Free Peoples of Middle-earth," said Arwen watching him with glistening eyes.
He nodded with sudden thought sparkling in his own grey eyes like the grey of dawn. "Men, Dwarves, and Elves. There are already Hobbits. The rest I shall choose once I inform Frodo of this. Those who go must depart soon while there is still time to be had."
"Indeed, Elrond. Use your wisdom in your decisions. This is no small thing."
All were called to Elrond once more to make known to them who were to go on the Quest of the Ring. Arwen watched from the shadows.
"And I will choose you companions to go with you, as far as they will or fortune allows. The number must be few, since your hope is in speed and secrecy. Had I a host of Elves in armour of the Elder Days, it would avail little, save to arouse the power of Mordor," said Elrond speaking to Frodo. "The Company of the Ring shall be Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil. With you and your faithful servant, Gandalf will go; for this shall be his great task, and maybe the end of his labours." He paused to look around him. "For the rest, they shall represent the other Free Peoples of the World: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Legolas shall be for the Elves; and Gimli son of Glóin for the Dwarves. They are willing to go at least to the passes of the Mountains, and maybe beyond. For men you shall have Aragorn son of Arathorn, for the Ring of Isildur concerns him closely."
Arwen lowered her head to stare at the ground. Her soul ached with the thought of Aragorn going into such peril, yet she knew in her heart it was his fate and that he would rise above all of his fathers because of this journey. He was also one of the few who could survive the quest because of his skills in the Wild.
"Strider!" cried Frodo.
"Yes," Aragorn said with a smile. "I ask leave once again to be your companion, Frodo."
So he had asked. Arwen nodded her head knowingly. She knew Aragorn well, so it was foreseen.
"I would have begged you to come," said Frodo, "only I thought you were going to Minas Tirith with Boromir."
"I am," said Aragorn. "And the Sword-that-was-Broken shall be re-forged ere I set out to war. But your road and our road lie together for many hundreds of miles. Therefore Boromir will also be in the Company. He is a valiant man."
Boromir is his name then. Elrond never mentioned him. A man from Gondor, the Steward's son no doubt, seeks the Sword-that-was-Broken. Aragorn's time draws nigh and his fate shall come upon him quicker than he might have thought. Eru, guard and keep him safe upon his road for it shall be more perilous than any before.
Elrond watched with a grave expression on his fair face of immortal wisdom. The long years of his life showed not in his face, but in the depths of his grey eyes. Those eyes full of knowledge and experience watched Aragorn with fatherly love and pride of what the matured man he had embraced as his own long ago had become. A smile would have graced his face if the circumstances were not so sombre.
Elrond turned his attention to other things. "There remain two more to be found," said Elrond. "These I will consider. Of my household I may find some that it seems good to me to send."
"But that would leave no place for us!" cried one of the hobbits called Pippin in dismay. "We don't want to be left behind. We want to go with Frodo."
"That is because you do not understand and cannot imagine what lies ahead," said Elrond.
In this Arwen agreed even though something stirred within that moved her to side with the young hobbit. She waited for her father's answer wondering what his decision would be in the matter. He had not spoken of the other two Periannath in their speech together nor of their fates.
"Neither does Frodo," said Gandalf, unexpectedly supporting Pippin. Arwen smiled slightly in his direction though he did not see her. "Nor do any of us see clearly. It is true that if these hobbits understood the danger, they would not dare to go. But they would still wish to go, or wish that they dared, and be shamed and unhappy. I think, Elrond, that in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom. Even if you chose for us an elf-lord, such as Glorfindel, he could not storm the Dark Tower, nor open the road to the Fire by the power that is in him."
Glorfindel, in a place near Elrond, nodded his head in consent for he knew full well that Gandalf's words were true. Elrond looked down at his feet shifting uncomfortably.
"You speak gravely," said Elrond, "but I am in doubt. The Shire, I forebode, is not free now from peril; and these two I had thought to send back there as messengers, to do what they could, according to the fashion of their country, to warn the people of their danger. In any case, I judge that the younger of these two, Peregrin Took, should remain. My heart is against his going."
"Then, Master Elrond, you will have to lock me in prison, or send me home tied in a sack," said Pippin. Arwen smiled again at his outburst full of passion. "For otherwise I shall follow the Company."
"Let it be so then. You shall go," said Elrond, and he sighed. "Now the tale of Nine is filled. In seven days the Company must depart."
In those remaining seven days Aragorn and Gandalf spoke together often of the long road ahead of them and the Company of Nine. The Sword of Elendil was re-forged at last after long ages gone from the world engraved with seven stars, a crescent moon, the sun, and runes. The sword's light had returned to its past glory once more and shone with light of sun and moon gleaming as it moved. In a sheath it was placed at Aragorn's side, the Heir of Elendil, who alone could wield it.
Arwen Undómiel found Aragorn alone the day before the Company was to depart. He was deep in thought, the Sword of Elendil lain across his knees where he sat. Careful attention and reverence were in his hands as he ran his fingers along the length of the sheath with eyes that held a light of the stars, rare among the race of Men. Dark locks of hair had fallen forward into his face as he bent down his head looking at the sword.
Arwen glided forward to him and he immediately felt her draw near. He rose to his feet slowly as he slipped the sword in its sheath onto his belt.
"Undómiel," he said quietly, "I fear I shall not see you for many months as we have had to endure before." He reached out to take her delicate hands in his.
"I know," she said just as quietly, "but my thoughts will guard and be with you along the way through peril or peace, joy or grief as they have been during all the years before."
Aragorn looked down at their clasped hands. Arwen knew he was struggling with whether or not to say something that came across his mind. He looked up to meet her gaze.
"Arwen," he began, "you still have a chance. You can still leave these shores with your kin. It would be better for you to live than to die for my sake. So much suffering should not be yours."
"No Aragorn," Arwen said lifting a hand to his face. "I will not take that ship...nor any other that may ever come. There is only one path I shall take and it is with you. Great deeds and glory await you on your journey, son of Arathorn; your fate is coming into place with mine beside it."
Aragorn clasped her hand to his heart with joy and love glistening in his eyes turning from grey to silver in one instant. "And there is no other path for me but to be with you though I bear a burden of the grief at its end for you and for the parting with your blood. You know you shall never again see your brothers, your father, or your kin in Valinor?"
Arwen's lips trembled. "Yes, I know it well. I have cloven unto you, my beloved. No other."
Aragorn lifted her chin when she lowered her face in sorrow. "And for that I love you the more." He leaned forward and kissed her.
"May the blessings of the Valar go with you and they keep you on your road though it be long," murmured Arwen.
At dusk, when the chill of winter was at its greatest, the Company was made ready to depart. Arwen rushed out of the great hall throwing a dark cloak lined with fur over her shoulders to clasp it at the throat for the cold was even exceptional for the Elves at such an hour of the day. She came outside where many Elves of Rivendell stood to see the Nine Walkers on their way with blessings of their kin as well as those of all the other Free Peoples. Arwen caught the last words of Elrond.
"Look not too far ahead! But go now with good hearts! Farewell, and may the blessings of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!"
Aragorn had the Sword of Elendil—newly named Andúril, Flame of the West, though once it was called Narsil—at his side hidden beneath the warm cloak he wore over travelling green and rusty brown garments. Gandalf not only had his staff but also the sword Glamdring. He still wore his pointed blue hat as was his wont. Frodo and the other three hobbits—Sam, Pippin, and Merry—wore short blades that to them were swords along with warm clothing. Boromir fingered the silver-tipped horn of Gondor hanging from his belt with a gloved hand while Gimli slipped his axe onto his back. The dwarf was the only one of the Nine who wore chain mail or any sort of armour whatsoever. Arwen smiled when she saw Legolas standing poised, ready to spring into action at any moment, with his cherished bow he was famed for in the elven-lands slung over his shoulder. She had bid him farewell the day before with a grieving heart for he was a dear friend to both her and Aragorn.
"Good...good luck!" cried Bilbo stuttering with the cold. "I don't suppose you will be able to keep a diary, Frodo my lad, but I shall expect a full account when you get back. And don't be too long! Farewell!" The old hobbit only stayed outside long enough to say farewell and returned to the warm comforts of inside since in his old age the cold bit more deeply than in earlier years.
All those of Elrond's household stood in the shadows and watched them go, bidding them farewell with soft voices. There was no laughter, and no song or music. At last they turned away and faded silently into the night.
Arwen felt a piece of her heart leave with them. She gazed into the dim shadows, even after they were out of even elven-sight, and could not move away. She felt a comforting hand rest lightly on her arm.
"Arwen, they will be safe for a time," Elrond said in a low voice. He was also watching where they had gone. "He has a fate too precious to be thrown away."
"I know it well, Elrond my father, yet I fear for them all. They will go through great perils that many men cannot dream of; especially the young hobbits. They will be utterly transformed in the end. Frodo will bear the greatest hurt and burden of them all," said Arwen softly. The foresight bestowed upon her and her kin caught a hold of her for that brief moment in full might. "I cannot see his end in whole, yet I know there will be much suffering; enough to dim the brightness of his spirited life. Frodo will lose all hope when he is in the midst of the darkest turmoil."
Elrond nodded. "He shall. Samwise will be there nevertheless. That will be the only thing to keep him alive."
Arwen agreed silently. She finally wrested her gaze away from the dark and turned to go inside. Elrond came along beside her with a soothing arm around her shoulders.
"There goes all our hope we have for Middle-earth to remain till the end. If only one of the Company fails to do what he is destined, the world may end and darkness cover all light that remains."
The days passed. The nights faded. The sun rose high into the heavens then dipped behind the mountains, gold light turning to crimson.
Arwen lifted her eyes from her work to rest a moment. She watched the chill wind stir the thick curtains covering the window. A fire burned in the ornate hearth of her quarters keeping the room from the cold of winter that tried to rush in.
On her lap, and spilling over, rested a very large piece of black cloth woven by her own hands with a flowering White Tree covering nearly half of its length. There were a few more portions to be done with the Tree, yet it was well-nigh finished. To the side on a short table carved of dark wood lay bright white gems sparkling in the firelight and pieces of shining mithril and glittering gold not yet formed.
She had had difficulty obtaining these precious gems and metals for all of this the Evenstar did in secret. Not one man or maiden knew of her work late into the evenings closed in her quarters with needle and thread. The White Tree of Gondor had taken much time, but she was finally almost to the next step in the great banner. In his trepidation, Elrond had not noticed her absence among the trees of the forests or the halls of the elven-city. He was the only one she worried would find out.
Arwen resumed her sewing with renewed vigour. She had to finish it in time.